1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a disposable container for the removal and/or temporary storage of solid animal wastes and more particularly, to such a container having a selectively closable, reinforced opening and an accompanying spatula for easy clean-up of solid waste materials left by pet animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The ever increasing suburban population, the social alienation of city and suburban life, when combined with far greater numbers of singles and senior citizens, has created a pet population boom. More people than ever before are turning to pets--particularly dogs and cats--for companionship and as a source for peace of mind/security. Unfortunately, dogs and cats have entirely different behavior traits, and the convenience of a cat litter box has no parallel with dogs. Euphemisms abound, from "walking the dog" to "letting the dog out". However, what in fact frequently happens, is the pet owner thoughtlessly shifts his or her pet waste disposal problem to an innocent third party or to an entire municipality. At the most trivial of levels, society is collectively required to take a more careful walk through the park, along city streets, or across a lawn.
Pet wastes are not just disgusting, they can also serve as a reservoir or a vector for a number of diseases. For the unwary, such wastes also provide a possible basis for a slip-and-fall accident. In response to growing public indignation, most large municipalities and suburban communities have enacted or are enacting statutes to require pet owners to remove offending material left behind by pet animals in city parks, along streets, and on walkways. A sense of common decency about such matters apparently no longer exists, and prior to these laws, the public grounds and thoroughfares were rapidly becoming unusable for pedestrian traffic.
Such pet waste laws will typically require the owner of a dog to pick up and properly dispose of any and all solid wastes generated by his or her pet. The owner must come prepared with (1) an implement to retrieve the solid wastes and (2) a portable receptacle or containment device for storing the wastes until removal can be effected to a suitable refuse container.
One alternative, a shovel and bucket, has been used by many owners. This solution, while more fashionable than the homespun plastic bag/soup spoon method of retrieval, is cumbersome, and except for the largest of pets, gives the appearance of overkill. The clean-up device should preferably be a compact, disposable container that includes some type of mechanism or procedure for placing the waste products in the container. These requirements have been addressed in a number of different ways in the past.
The inconveniences of walking a pet while carrying both a shovel and a waste container were recognized by both Tokuzumi, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,356), and Thompson, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,952). Along with Claras, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,354), each address this problem by offering inexpensively produced portable waste bags. Designed to be disposable, all provide a bag and a spatula or scraper to push the solid waste materials into the bag.
The nature of these waste materials makes it desirable to accurately place the wastes inside of the bag and to then securely retain the wastes therein. The manner by which these design criteria have been addressed varies somewhat. Claras makes use of a semi-rigid reinforcing band about the mouth of the bag, with a gripping tab formed in this band to hold open the bag. Thompson likewise provides a reinforced "upper portion", which is manipulated and held open by the user, with a pair of finger holes assisting in this regard. After the waste products have been received within the bag, a strip of adhesive secures the bag opening. Tokuzumi uses a ribbon to direct the opening and positioning of the bag mouth; the ribbon also cooperates with a multi-use scooper board to clamp the ends of the bag together after placement of the wastes inside. Although not specifically designed for pet wastes, Styers (U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,156) and Potdevin, et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 2,216,133), illustrate the use of metal tie strips for securing closed paper bags.
Brandon, (United Kingdom Patent No. 1,150,742), discloses several different types of reinforcing frameworks designed to keep a disposable paper waste container in an open position. Such frameworks include a triangularly-shaped reinforcing framework (FIG. 1) and a rectangular frame constructed by inserting the tips of two hinged arms into slits formed in the opposing bag wall (FIG. 3). Also shown is a continuous rectangular reinforcing frame that is provided with creases or fold lines to permit collapse of the strips when the bag is full (FIG. 4).
The foregoing bag reinforcement structures are attempting to address two conflicting design criteria: 1) maintain the bag opening in its maximum open position; and 2) permit rapid bag closure when appropriate for sealing and bag disposal. Additionally, from an aesthetic perspective, it is also desireable to minimize the manipulations required, particularly those adjacent the bag mouth, to effect closure after the waste material has been placed within the bag. The gripping tabs or finger holes of the Claras and the Thompson structures increase both the amount and the complexity of the manipulations required to load the bags, and the various supporting structures proposed by Brandon either limit the opening size or increase the complexity of the closure operation.
Consequently, a need exists for a disposable container for solid animal wastes that is economical to manufacture, and that is also reinforced about the bag opening in a manner that will maintain the bag mouth in a fully opened configuration while loading the bag, yet will also permit the prompt collapse and sealing of the bag for transport and disposal.